The Inception of Haruhi Suzumiya
by AnalogousParadox
Summary: Dom Cobb thought that his life as an extractor was over. He didn't realize that while he was no longer an extractor, he would be asked to become an inceptor. And his first target after the Fischer job? A girl named Haruhi Suzumiya. T for future chapters
1. Chapter 1: The New Mark

**Disclaimer: I do not own Haruhi Suzumiya and/or Inception or anything related.**

**A/N: **Okay, so I've seen Inception and I pretty thought it was one hell of a movie. [Yes, Kuroshitsuji reference.]. I thought it would be interesting to put the two together.

WARNING: If you have not seen Inception yet, then go see it before you read this. It goes without saying that there will be MAJOR SPOILERS for the movie.

If you have not seen Haruhi Suzumiya yet, then… where have you been all this time? Haha. Just kidding. Go and see it.

Also, for this fic, I assume that Cobb got back to reality. Screw whether the top falls in the end, I've got fanfiction.

**Title: The Inception of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Synopsis: **

Dom Cobb thought that his life as an extractor was over. He didn't realize that while he was no longer an extractor, he would be asked to become an inceptor. And his first target after the Fischer job? A girl named Haruhi Suzumiya.

* * *

**Chapter 1: The New Mark**

"Saito, what is it that you want from me now?"

Cobb asked the Japanese man who was sitting across him. His hands were clasped in front of his face like some evil mastermind. If Cobb did not know Saito, he would've thought that this man was up to some evil take-over-the-world scheme.

"I want you to do another Inception for me." Saito said, a small smirk forming in his lips.

Cobb leaned back into his own chair. He looked around the room. It was no different than the one he saw in limbo during the last part of the Fischer job, when he had come to convince Saito to 'wake up'. The walls were decorated with dragons and other stuff from Japanese myths, and he found himself looking at them closely, as if to compare them from the ones he saw in that dream.

"Mr. Cobb?"

His head spun around to meet Saito's.

"I'm not doing it Saito. I told you, the Fischer job was the last job I'll ever do that involves dreams."

As if he did not hear what Cobb said, Saito rose from his chair, his samurai-style kimono touching the floor.

"Mr. Cobb, do you know of the Japanese legend of Tanabata?"

"Tanabata?" Cobb's eyes blinked in curiosity.

"There were once two lovers. Orihime and Hikoboshi…"

Saito pointed to a particular image in one of the walls. An image Cobb was pretty sure was not there in Saito's limbo. It was an image of a bamboo tree, with strips of paper hanging from it.

"I don't see what…"

Saito chuckled.

"Forgive me, Mr. Cobb. I just wanted to show you a recent modification I made to this office."

Saito then sighed and hung his head low.

"I don't want it to come to this, but I could make a phone call, and you'll be charged again."

Cobb gritted his teeth.

"Saito… you…"

Saito looked at the American and sneered.

"Once again, assemble your team Mr. Cobb. We're not dealing with a normal subconscious anymore."

Saito threw a large brown envelope in front of Cobb.

What choice does he have?

He picked it up and opened it, ripping off the seal that said 'CONFIDENTIAL'.

_What is Saito up to?_ Cobb asked himself.

_**Haruhi Suzumiya, age 16, student at North High.**_

The new Mark.

* * *

A/N: Yeah! Dun-dun-dun! More to come! And to those who are waiting for my update on The Origin of Itsuki Koizumi, please hold on. I'm not planning on dropping that story at all, but I'm stuck with a certain part of the story that I have to fix.

**Preview of next chapter:**

"Koizumi."

The young esper looked up from his paperwork.

"We've received reports that there is a faction trying to directly access Suzumiya-san's subconscious."


	2. Chapter 2: The Pawn

**Disclaimer: I do not own Haruhi Suzumiya and/or Inception or anything related.**

**A/N: **So, I decided to put this, in Haruhi time, just before they enter their second year. They're still freshmen by this point, and the events in The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya have all taken place by now already.

WARNING: If you have not seen Inception yet, then go see it before you read this. It goes without saying that there will be MAJOR SPOILERS for the movie.

SPOILERSHERE SPOILERSHERE.

Also, for this fic, I assume that Cobb got back to reality. Screw whether the top falls in the end, I've got fanfiction.

**Title: The Inception of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Synopsis: **

Dom Cobb thought that his life as an extractor was over. He didn't realize that while he was no longer an extractor, he would be asked to become an inceptor. And his first target after the Fischer job? A girl named Haruhi Suzumiya.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Pawn**

"Did you hear?"

The sound was a crispy clear excited shriek from a girl sitting at the back seat by the window of Class 1-5.

"Hear what?" sighed the boy seated in front of him.

"There's a new English teacher!" she exclaimed.

Sighing, the boy gave up all attempts to even calm her down. After all, if it is Haruhi Suzumiya, then, anything like this would be considered normal.

"Isn't this badical?"

"Haruhi, I don't see anything 'badical' about an American who teaches the subject English. And besides, 'badical' isn't even a word."

Still, at the back of his mind, the boy known only as Kyon, found himself doubting the circumstances of this newcomer. If anything, shady new characters appearing out of nowhere was Haruhi's doing, directly or indirectly, and Kyon knew, that if anything, he would usually be the one who will have to fix what is wrong.

If this newcomer was really some sort of supernatural being again, Kyon wished that he or she would be on their side.

"You're such a spoilsport, Kyon! You know what?"

_I'd hate to know what_. Kyon thought.

"What?"

The thought that was haunting Kyon during their conversation was written into reality. And once such an order was placed, he knew that there was no taking it back.

"We'll make him join the SOS Brigade!" Haruhi proclaimed loudly.

"Oh dear."

* * *

In another room in the same school, a young boy was busy checking his phone under his desk.

_One message after another,_ he thought. _What could be wrong this time?_

"Koizumi-kun!"

He jolted up when he heard that voice. He turned around to see a classmate behind him. A girl with brown curly hair and glasses.

"Oh, nothing."

"You look troubled. Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing is." He smiled. "I seem to be having a bit of a network problem with my phone."

"I guess." She smiled. "Well, better keep that then, class is about to start."

Itsuki Koizumi kept the phone in his bag, but not before reading the most recent text message.

_ -Emergency meeting at 6:30 this afternoon. Your attendance is required. Please excuse yourself from Suzumiya-san today._

_ -Mori_

With a small frown, Itsuki Koizumi thought: _Kyon thinks he's got a tough life._

_

* * *

_

"Asahina-san, glad to see you here."

The beautiful Asahina-san, who was busy making tea, turned to see Itsuki Koizumi peeking from the doorway.

"Ah, K-Koizumi-kun, welcome!" she bowed.

Koizumi returned a courteous bow. He looked around the clubroom. Yuki Nagato was already there as expected, reading a book in the corner.

"Is Suzumiya-san here?"

"Not yet, but she might be arriving soon."

"That's good. But it is imperative that you relay this message to her for me."

Mikuru Asahina blinked.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I will not be able to attend club activities today."

"B-but… Suzumiya-san says t-that it is imperative that you're here today! S-she was going to…"

But the serious look on Koizumi's face that Mikuru Asahina had never seen before told her to keep her mouth shut.

"I have to risk it. After all…"

Swinging his bag onto his shoulders, he said, "I've always been the one who risks everything."

"Koizumi-kun?" she asked, and the boy turned to meet her face.

Mikuru Asahina froze. What she saw when Koizumi turned to face her was his usual smile. As if the face he made a moment ago was nothing.

"Please tell her that I have an emergency. And it is very imperative that I…"

"I understand." Was her reply.

* * *

Koizumi was used to this. Whenever something huge was about to happen, the Agency would pull together an emergency meeting. All he did in that meeting however, was write down a transcript of the meeting.

He might be the Vice-Commander of the SOS Brigade, but really, when he's here, he's no different than Kyon.

"The meeting has started." The booming voice of Keiichi Tamaru spoke.

He takes that back, he was far off worse than Kyon.

"This meeting has been called for one reason."

Koizumi started writing. Nobody needed to listen, since he would be writing everything, and everyone will be given a copy of the transcript later on. He could hear Yutaka Tamaru yawn behind him. Perhaps he had already been briefed on the situation like always, since it was his brother, Keiichi who was head of their Information Division.

The words he started to scribble do not make sense to him, as if he was writing only for the sake of writing. The words, he could hear them, but his brain doesn't even bother connecting the thoughts and meanings they carry.

So it came to a shock to him when the last word he wrote was his very own name.

"Koizumi."

The young esper looked up from his paperwork.

"We've received reports that there is a faction trying to directly access Suzumiya-san's subconscious."

At this, he noticed that everyone in the room had their eyes fixed upon him.

"Another faction of espers?" Koizumi asked.

"Their identity is yet unknown." Keiichi replied.

"And what does this have to do with me?"

"Well, you are, after all, the closest agent we have to Suzumiya-san."

_So, once more, I will be the pawn for your schemes._ Koizumi thought.

"It's about time the Pawn… becomes the Knight." Keiichi declared.

Whatever Itsuki Koizumi was writing on the transcript, he could no longer remember. When he looked down at the paper, a huge blot of ink was beside his name.

There was only one way a Pawn would become a Knight.

Something was about to change. And he would have to take the first step towards it.

A Pawn cannot go back once he has been moved forward.

* * *

The next day, North High was abuzz with the new teacher.

"Did you see that new English teacher?"

"Yeah, he's hot!"

In Class 1-5 however, there was one person who wasn't so hyped about this news.

"Seriously, why are they talking about the new English teacher like that?"

Haruhi Suzumiya clearly wasn't in a good mood. Nothing really new about that, Kyon thought, since she was known for having incredibly incomprehensible mood swings. The first period had just finished, and she was already moping on her desk by the window.

"Well, who was so excited about the new teacher yesterday?" He asked. "I can clearly remember you being all hyper about this yesterday."

"Hmph!" she said. A typical Haruhi reply.

"Besides, it was Koizumi's job to investigate about this new teacher first! They've got English on the first period." Haruhi clenched her fists in midair, "He'll be given a penalty! A penalty, I say!"

"Calm down, Haruhi." Kyon said. "There was an emergency. Koizumi had to go. Besides, English is fifth period later."

_Emergency? It couldn't be another Closed Space, can it? Haruhi was feeling pretty cheerful yesterday._ Kyon thought. _Unless…_

_Nah, it can't be._

Kyon shrugged his thoughts off his mind and went back to face the blackboard. According to his schedule, second period will be up next… Algebra. How he hated that subject.

Suddenly, the door of Class 1-5 opened. The class, who was normally chattering during break times suddenly became quiet, albeit a few whispers could be heard here and there.

_Wait. Wasn't it supposed to be Algebra time?_

What Kyon saw before his eyes was not their bespectacled Algebra teacher. In fact, the teacher that made his way in front of the class wasn't someone he knew.

He wasn't even Japanese.

"I'm sorry, but I had to ask Mr. Mikido for this time slot. From now on, your Algebra class will be at fifth period."

The class stared at him. Here was an American who can speak Japanese fluently. He had the air of urgency around him, and already, the class feared what kind of papers he would be giving them.

"But that's okay, isn't it? That way, you'd be able to do last-minute changes to your homework on quadratic equations during lunchbreak."

He smiled. Whatever tension he had brought onto the class was gone in that instant. Mr. Mikido was known for giving homework that cannot be solved without some help from a classmate or two.

"Good morning, class. I am Mr. Cobb. I will be your new English teacher from now on."

Kyon turned to see what the girl behind him was up to.

Haruhi's eyes glittered. It was clearly a bad omen.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it for now! Whew! I think this was a pretty long chapter. I'm actually thinking about doing this alternating in between the SOS Brigade and Team Inception. Tell me what you think! Jaa!

As for Mr. Mikido and Koizumi's classmate, they're really extras. Bonus: Koizumi's classmate is the same girl in Disappearance who was implied to be a classmate of his.

**Preview of the next chapter:**

"Arthur, we can't use Ariadne as the Architect."

"Why not? She helped us before."

"No Arthur. She doesn't need me to mess up her life further."

* * *

"Are you the one they call Ariadne?"

She turned around. Behind her was a woman she could never forget.

"Mal?"


	3. Chapter 3: The Architect's Shade

**Disclaimer: I do not own Haruhi Suzumiya and/or Inception or anything related.**

**A/N:**I assumed that Cobb knows quite a bit of other languages, because of his work as an extractor.

WARNING: If you have not seen Inception yet, then go see it before you read this. It goes without saying that there will be MAJOR SPOILERS for the movie.

Also, for this fic, I assume that Cobb got back to reality. Screw whether the top falls in the end, I've got fanfiction.

**Title: The Inception of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Synopsis: **

Dom Cobb thought that his life as an extractor was over. He didn't realize that while he was no longer an extractor, he would be asked to become an inceptor. And his first target after the Fischer job? A girl named Haruhi Suzumiya.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Architect's Shade**

"So, you're really going through with this."

Dom Cobb was packing his things. A couple of suits, two grey shirts, his brown leather jacket, and at least three pairs of pants were stuffed into a suitcase.

"Yes Arthur." He looked at the young Point Man as he closed the suitcase. "You better contact Eames and Yusef. We'll be needing our Forger and Chemist back for this mission."

"That still doesn't explain you going to Paris." Arthur stated dryly as Cobb lifted the suitcase from the bed.

"Arthur." Cobb paused. "I'm gonna look for a new architect."

Arthur raised his eyes in surprise.

"Why not Ariadne? She's probably the best out there."

Cobb sighed. Arthur was right. Ariadne is the best Architect for their team.

"Ariadne," Cobb paused "is attending to her studies. She will be too busy for this."

"That's not the reason." Arthur deadpanned.

"I can't. Maybe someone else, but not her."

"Why not? She helped us before." the Point Man asked.

Cobb's face turned to meet Arthur's.

"No Arthur. She doesn't need me to mess up her life further."

If the Point Man knew anything to be true, it would be that whenever the Extractor made this face, he was dead serious.

* * *

Ariadne was having the time of her life. She was about to graduate from her Architecture course this year. She's looking forward to drafting buildings and bridges, and downtown Paris was just the place to get some inspiration for her latest project.

"_You create the world of the dream…"_

Ariadne stopped walking. That voice. It would seem, for a moment, that she heard Dom Cobb's voice.

_Well, I guess it can't be helped._ She thought. _After all, whatever happened in the last few months wasn't something you'd forget immediately._

She continued her walk.

Yes. For an Architect like her, it was truly a Dream to be able to create her own world with her own rules. She realized what Cobb meant by easily getting lost in a Dream.

It was like being a god of your own little world. Where anything happens the way you wanted it to.

But it was all just a dream, right? You still have to wake up in the end.

But it felt so good. Sometimes…

Sometimes, even Ariadne wished that she could just stay in there, and dream.

* * *

"Cobb, are you really that thick?" Eames asked.

The Extractor turned to the Forger, who was busy making himself at home in one of the chairs.

"I told him that this was a bad idea." Arthur piped.

"Clearly, someone planted the idea in your mind that the young gal will get into trouble if she involves herself with you." Eames sniggered.

"I'm serious about this Eames!" Cobb yelled. "I can't help but feel responsible if she suddenly wants to stay in the Dream! I taught her to create a world where she could be a literal God!"

_It's my fault if she decides that reality is not enough for her anymore. _Cobb thought.

* * *

Ariadne made her way through the crowd. She didn't realize that Paris was this big. Walking around aimlessly seemed to have been a bad idea. She couldn't find her way back to the college.

Taking chances, Ariadne took the nearest left turn.

Upon turning, she realized that she had been here before…

The street was lined up with fruit stands. On the corner was a café. A very familiar café.

"This..is.."

This was the café where Cobb had taught her about dreams. That Cobb. He said never to build from memory. But this café actually existed in the real world.

She looked around. The café was filled with people, like before. She went to look for the exact spot where she sat with Cobb.

She found it. A smile grew on her face.

Cobb was sitting there. And from the looks of it, he was waiting for someone. She ran towards him, hoping to greet him, to ask him how life has been for him lately…

But then, she heard a voice calling her from behind, sending chills down her spine…

"Are you the one they call Ariadne?"

She turned around. Behind her was a woman she could never forget.

"Mal?"

She was shocked. What is Mal doing here?

That could mean only one thing…

"I'm dreaming?"

"Ariadne!" a familiar voice shouted.

She turned around to look for whoever shouted.

Mal lunged forward before Ariadne could get away. She could feel the pain of her knife…

* * *

"Ariadne, wake up!"

She opened her eyes. She was in a library. Spread in front of her were blueprints and books. She looked to her side and saw Cobb and the Dream Machine hidden under the table. He had been inside her dream.

"Cobb?"

"Ariadne, are you allright?" he asked.

"C-Cobb… M-Mal… she's…"

"How many times has this happened?"

"A couple of times…"

Cobb raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, fine. I can't lie to you. Every night."

Cobb looked defeated.

"I'm sorry, Ariadne. This was my fault… I…"

"Cobb."

It was Arthur and Eames.

"Saito just called. The briefing will begin."

"Briefing? What briefing?" Ariadne asked.

"Nothing, Ariadne. Sorry to bother you." Cobb stood up from his chair and left.

"Cobb! What is this all about?" Ariadne shouted.

"This has nothing to do with you, Ariadne." He answered with his back turned to her.

"You have Eames and Arthur here, you jacked into my dream, and you're telling me that this does not concern me? What are you playing at?" She shouted.

"Calm down, love, this is a library." Eames pointed out.

Ariadne shut her mouth. The librarian looked at her with a fierce look.

"That librarian sure looks more menacing than one of them projections." Eames added.

"Arthur. Eames. Let's go." Cobb ordered.

The three made their way out of the library. Ariadne, hastily cleaning up her things, marched outside, hot on their heels.

"You can't just leave me out of this. Cobb, you hear me! You can't just do that to me!" she shouted to no one in particular.

Ariadne's shouts could be heard in the hallway.

"You know, old chap," Eames said, "You really can't get rid of a girl who's out to get you."

"In more ways than one." Arthur sniggered.

With a smirk, Cobb stopped and turned around to see the Architect, infuriated. Whether or not he wanted her in his team this time, he couldn't deny that it was really cute to see her face like that.

* * *

**A/N:** Whew! That's it for now! A little Cobb/Ariadne-ish chapter. Whoohoo!

**Preview for next chapter:**

"Suzumiya-san said she has a surprise for the brigade today."

"Yes. She was so excited about that during second period. Then she disappeared during lunch time."

"I wonder what it could be?"

"Yahoo!"

The door opened to reveal the energetic Brigade Leader and…

"Mr. Cobb?" Kyon and Koizumi said in unison.


	4. Chapter 4: The Adviser

**Disclaimer: I do not own Haruhi Suzumiya and/or Inception or anything related.**

**A/N: **ZukoHaliwell, thanks for reviewing! : ) Here's my answer to that: As much as possible, I try avoiding making up original characters. ;)

Cobb introduced himself as "Mr. Cobb" not "Cobb-sensei" or "Cobb-san", so they pronounce it like "mish-ta Ka-bu".

Also, is it Yusuf or Yusef? I don't know, but after "extracting some information" from reliable sources, I'll just stick to Yusef. ;)

WARNING: If you have not seen Inception yet, then go see it before you read this. It goes without saying that there will be MAJOR SPOILERS for the movie.

Also, for this fic, I assume that Cobb got back to reality. Screw whether the top falls in the end, I've got fanfiction.

**Title: The Inception of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Synopsis: **

Dom Cobb thought that his life as an extractor was over. He didn't realize that while he was no longer an extractor, he would be asked to become an inceptor. And his first target after the Fischer job? A girl named Haruhi Suzumiya.

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Adviser**

After the introduction of the new English teacher in Class 1-5, the day proceeded as normal in North High. It was a rather gloomy afternoon for Kyon, who was making his way towards the clubroom in a usual manner. The Algebra quiz didn't exactly go well for him today, but he suspected that if it hadn't been moved to fifth period, his quiz score would be far lower than what it was. For this, he made a mental note to thank Mr. Cobb for switching time slots.

As he reached the clubroom door, he stopped to knock, and upon hearing no answer, he assumed that it was alright to enter.

When we opened the door, the sight of Mikuru Asahina, nonetheless in her usual maid outfit greeted him.

"Oh, Kyon-kun! Welcome!" She greeted him with a smile.

Kyon acknowledged her smile. For him, it was the only consolation he got from putting up with Haruhi's whims. He watched as the meek time-traveler made her way to the stove to heat some water.

He then turned to the other occupant of the room, who was seated on one corner, beside the window, reading yet another book. Kyon noticed that this time, she was reading a foreign book in some language he wasn't familiar with.

_Well, that's to be expected,_ Kyon thought, _after all, it is Yuki Nagato we're talking about._

As if to reply to his thoughts, the humanoid interface slowly lifted her head from what she was reading and looked at Kyon. It all happened in such a silent manner, that before Kyon even got to say anything to her, her eyes were back, absorbed to what she was reading again.

Kyon looked at the title of the book she was reading: it seemed that she was reading a copy of Dante's Inferno.

He was about to inquire about the book when another person arrived in the clubroom.

This person was tall, had a cheery smile permanently plastered upon his face, and greeted everyone in the clubroom jovially. Itsuki Koizumi waved at Kyon, placing his bag on the table.

_The esper has finally arrived,_ Kyon thought.

Kyon made his way to the usual chair he sits on. Facing Koizumi, he spoke.

"Haruhi was looking for you yesterday."

"Ah." Koizumi replied. "My apologies. An emergency back home came up."

Watching Koizumi's eyes closely, Kyon could tell that by 'home', Koizumi actually meant 'The Agency'.

Koizumi must've noticed this look that Kyon gave him, and chuckled.

"Ah, I guess it can't be helped. Of course, this has something to do with Suzumiya-san. However, we have discussed the matter in the meeting, and I assure you, that we've got this particular situation covered." Koizumi said, making his usual hand gestures.

"I do hope so, 'coz right now, Haruhi's pretty pissed that you missed yesterday's meeting." Kyon stated flatly.

Again, Koizumi flashed Kyon one of those smiles.

"I have talked to Suzumiya-san about that, and while she understood the situation, she still gave me a penalty."

"I hope it's a week of treating us all to the café. I don't want to pay for anything at all." Kyon said.

"Ah, yes, she did ask me to treat all of you to the café… for the weekend." Koizumi replied.

_Damn it._ Kyon thought. _Why does Haruhi go easy on this guy, but not me?_

Koizumi shrugged his shoulders.

"Well…" He continued, "Suzumiya-san said she has a surprise for the brigade today."

"Yes. She was so excited about that during second period. Then she disappeared during lunch time."

"I wonder what it could be?" Koizumi wondered, as the door opened with such a formidable 'blag'.

"Ya-hoo!"

Upon hearing this call that strangely resembled Native American Indians calling home after a triumphant hunt, Mikuru Asahina, shivered involuntarily in her place. This scene was very, very similar to the time when she was forced to wear a bunny suit to advertise the SOS Brigade.

And why wouldn't she be flinching?

Standing on the doorway was none other than SOS Brigade's Leader and founder. The infamous Haruhi Suzumiya. Her face shone with such happiness, Kyon was sure that she was up to another harebrained scheme.

As soon as Haruhi made her first step into the clubroom, it was clear that she was not alone.

And who did the Brigade Leader drag into this haven of strange individuals?

"Mr. Cobb?" Kyon and Koizumi said in unison.

Their english teacher, Dom Cobb, stood at the doorway with a smile.

"Hello there. Ms. Suzumiya talked to me this afternoon. Are you, by any chance, the SOS Brigade?" he inquired.

"Y-yes…"

It was Mikuru Asahina who answered, looking at Mr. Cobb with wide eyes. Kyon looked at Yuki Nagato. The alien had stopped reading and was looking at the newcomer. Koizumi's eyes shifted slightly.

_There must be something odd with this one,_ Kyon thought.

"Ah. I see." spoke, "Well, your honorable Brigade Leader here has summoned me for your meeting today, although I can't help but wonder why I was called here…"

"Don't worry, Mr. Cobb! Everything will be made clear soon!" Haruhi yelled with enthusiasm.

Clearing her throat, Haruhi pointed to Mr. Cobb and said,

"May I welcome the SOS Brigade's Faculty Adviser, Mr. Dom Cobb!"

Everyone, including Mr. Cobb, seemed to be surprised by this news.

_Apparently, Mr. Cobb doesn't know what he's getting into._ Kyon thought.

"Faculty Adviser?" Mr. Cobb said. "What exactly does a Faculty Adviser for the SOS Brigade do?"

"Well…" Haruhi began. "The SOS Brigade Faculty Adviser is a cut above advisers for the other clubs!"

Haruhi started pacing around the room, waving her pointing finger in circles.

"The SOS Brigade Faculty Adviser is the most revered position! You will have the chance to explore the universe's mysteries, discover the world's secrets! You would be the most envied teacher in entire Japan—no—even the entire world!"

"Big words." Kyon said. "So, does that mean that Mr. Cobb will be tagging along in all our 'activities'?"

"Of course he will!" Haruhi stated matter-of-factly "The SOS Brigade needs an educated scholar to validate our finds!"

"Assuming we have 'finds'." Kyon whispered.

Paying no heed to Kyon's grumbling, Haruhi grabbed a marker and wrote on the whiteboard.

"I've always wanted to go abroad for a Mystery Hunt! Seeing as that won't be possible right now-"

"I'll arrange it." Came from Mr. Cobb.

The SOS Brigade looked at him in amazement.

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Cobb." Koizumi suddenly piped up. "I'll have to contact some relatives to get us a flight next week."

"Don't worry, Mr. Koizumi. I have an associate who owns an airline. It should be easy enough to get an overseas flight." Cobb continued, "He's Japanese, and a good friend of mine. He'll be flying to America this weekend, and I think he won't mind if we tag along."

"All right! Then it's settled!" Haruhi exclaimed. "We'll be going on an International Mystery Tour this weekend!"

* * *

"That was strange." Kyon said.

"Ah. It would appear so. It would appear that my place as the event-provider is being taken by Mr. Cobb." Koizumi replied.

The SOS Brigade had finished the meeting early, with Mr. Cobb assuring them that he will take care of the accommodations, even excusing them from class if ever the trip went over the weekend. They were walking home together, Haruhi dragging poor Mikuru in front, with Nagato, Koizumi and Kyon bringing up the rear.

"Well, getting a Faculty Adviser really wasn't part of my initial plan when I founded the SOS Brigade. But now, I see the benefits we could get! Mikuru-chan, isn't this great?" Haruhi cried, tugging Mikuru's hand.

"Uh… Y-yeah… I-I guess…" the time-traveler replied.

"Tell me," Kyon whispered to Nagato "Is Mr. Cobb not an ordinary human?"

Nagato blinked and then replied in monotone:

"His genetic composition is no different from that of an ordinary human's."

"Then, he's as normal as I am?" Kyon asked.

"He does not possess any supernatural powers." Nagato replied.

"Koizumi." Kyon bluntly asked, "Is he related to your Agency? He seemed so eager to please this request of Haruhi's."

"Oh, no. I assure you. If this was part of our Agency's plans, I'd definitely be informed."

_Not to mention that Mr. Cobb's arrival was a bit too much like Koizumi's. _Kyon wondered.

"But still…" Koizumi interrupted. "There's just something about him that I can't put my finger on… Mr. Cobb appeared all too sudden. I'm not sure if he is affiliated with any of the factions involved in the observation of Suzumiya-san… But I'm sure he won't be much of a problem, even if he did try to do something. After all, Nagato-san has assured us that he is a normal human after all."

Koizumi shrugged his shoulders and replied,

"Well, in any case, we should still keep an eye on him, especially if he tries to do something during the trip. We wouldn't want any harm to come to Suzumiya-san."

Kyon looked up to the sky. There was no sign of anything wrong going to happen.

But, from experience, Kyon knew that that was what it always seemed whenever something big will happen.

* * *

A/N: Whew! Nothing much in this chapter, I guess! Thanks to those who read my humble story! R&R!

* * *

**In the next chapter:**

"You know, I still don't see why we're infiltrating a sixteen-year old's mind." Eames piped. "Rich businessmen, powerful CEOs, the president of a country… But what's so special about this schoolgirl? Do you want her in your harem?"

"Mr. Eames," Saito growled with his Japanese accent "I assure you that I have no interest in putting myself in illicit affairs particularly with a high school girl. I am not interested in lolicon."

"Loli-what?" Arthur asked. "Enlighten us. Why this girl?"

"This girl, Haruhi Suzumiya is the Prime Dreamer."

"Prime Dreamer?" Cobb asked.

"Her subconscious can alter reality."

* * *

"You can't find another Architect, can you?"

"Ariadne, what are you doing here?"

"Cobb, I'm here to be your Architect once more."

"Ariadne."

"You took me in the first time. So why can't you take me with you in this job?"

"Because I—"


	5. Chapter 5: The Architect

**Disclaimer: I do not own Haruhi Suzumiya and/or Inception or anything related.**

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the reviews! It really keeps me going! XD Also, this chapter alternates in-between real time and flashbacks.

Also, this is a long chapter, with hints of Ariadne/Cobb and a good Arthur/Eames banter.

WARNING: If you have not seen Inception yet, then go see it before you read this. It goes without saying that there will be MAJOR SPOILERS for the movie.

Also, for this fic, I assume that Cobb got back to reality. Screw whether the top falls in the end, I've got fanfiction.

**Title: The Inception of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Synopsis: **

Dom Cobb thought that his life as an extractor was over. He didn't realize that while he was no longer an extractor, he would be asked to become an inceptor. And his first target after the Fischer job? A girl named Haruhi Suzumiya.

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Architect**

Eames paced around the hotel room. It's been three months since Cobb called them out for another job, and around six months since the successful Inception on Fischer Jr., yet he still can't seem to grasp the fact that he's flown halfway around the world, just to plant an idea on a sixteen-year-old Japanese school girl's mind.

He looked out to see the Japanese city skyline.

_Clearly, Saito has lost it._ Either that or he, Eames, _was dreaming_.

He clutched a small poker chip in his hands, playing with it, feeling its weight. It feels like how it's supposed to feel, and the Forger tosses it around for quite some time seeing if it will land on the right side.

The chip always landed on _heads_. Just like the way it's supposed to be.

He breathed a heavy sigh, knowing full well that this was not a dream. Saito must have really gone mental.

He then heard a soft knock on the door.

"That door's open. You could come in."

Arthur stood in the doorway.

"Saito called. Meeting's about to start. We'll all proceed to the penthouse."

* * *

"You can't just leave me out of this. Cobb, you hear me! You can't just do that to me!" Ariadne shouted.

Eames sniggered. Arthur raised his eyebrows at Cobb, who was torn between exasperation and amusement, looking at the young Architect's infuriated face.

"Ari…"

"Don't you dare call me 'Ari', Dominic Cobb!"

"Ouch. The full name." Eames winced."Well then, I guess we'll leave you two to talk about this… Arthur, darling, we must be someplace else, and leave the two to their lovers' quarrel."

"Don't. Call me. Darling." Arthur muttered through gritted teeth, as Eames dragged the young man by his arm, leaving Cobb to deal with Ariadne.

As soon as the two men left, Cobb turned to face Ariadne.

"Well… I just came by to see you." He said.

"Oh sure. That's normal, Cobb, to fly from America to Paris, just when you feel like it? You know, for a skilled thief, you don't know how to make a plausible lie."

Cobb opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what he wanted to say. He really couldn't understand why, but he can't seem to lie to this girl

"Okay. You've got me. I'm doing another job."

"I thought you wanted to quit?"

"Saito… he…"

Cobb sighed.

"Did Saito threaten you to accept this job?"

"He did."

"He didn't keep his word." Ariadne muttered.

"Well… He never mentioned the Fischer job to be the last one."

"So you're here to…"

"…to find a new Architect." Cobb continued.

"I'm not gonna be your Architect?" Ariadne's eyes widened in surprise.

While Ariadne was dazed with Cobb's words, the Extractor made his way outside the college, leaving her behind.

* * *

"Arthur darling, is Cobb back from work?" Eames asked, putting his arm around the shoulder of the young man.

The Point Man cringed at this very action. Eames doesn't know how to respect personal space. The narrow hotel hallway seemed insufferable with every second they spent there. It's a long way to go until they reach the penthouse.

"Your face is _way too close_, Eames. Put it away." Arthur said in a serious tone. "And please… Don't call me darling. It's just wrong."

Eames removed his arm from Arthur's shoulder and held it up, waving them up in the air in surrender.

"I was only joking, Arthur. C'mon. It's like you don't know me at all."

"Shut up, Eames."

Eames stifled a hearty laugh as the Point Man shot daggers at his direction.

"And to answer your question, Eames," Arthur said, changing the topic. "No, Cobb isn't back from work yet."

"I hope he's not troubled with _'after-school'_ meetings with schoolgirls." Eames laughed. "That's too much of a comic book cliché."

"Seriously, Eames, what 'comic books' _are_ you reading?" Arthur raised his eyebrows at the Forger, who folded his arms in laughter.

"Who's reading what?" a voice came from an adjacent room.

* * *

"Well, I'm glad you're all here." Saito growled.

This was the old warehouse they used for planning the Fischer inception. Saito looked at the team: the Extractor, the Point Man, the Forger, the Chemist, and…

His eyes narrowed. There was someone missing.

"I do not see Ms. Ariadne here." Saito said, putting his hand below his chin. "Where is she, Mr. Cobb?"

"Ah… looks like Cobb here broke up with her." Eames joked.

Arthur smirked. Yusef looked at Cobb in surprise.

"I didn't think you were the type, Mr. Cobb." Saito sneered.

"That's not true… I…" Cobb sighed. "I didn't ask her to be the Architect this time. She's got her own life now."

"I'm a bit… concerned, Mr. Cobb." Saito said. "We cannot have a team without an Architect. And besides, Ms. Ariadne is one of the best, if not the best Architect out there."

"True. I've never seen someone build like that, ever." Cobb gave out a defeated sigh. "Don't worry… I-I'll find us a new Architect. But please, I need you to wait a little longer."

"Mr. Cobb. This job cannot wait." Saito said, lightly tapping the table. "The inception must be performed on Haruhi Suzumiya as soon as possible."

"You know, I still don't see why we're infiltrating a sixteen-year old's mind." Eames piped. "Rich businessmen, powerful CEOs, the president of a country… But what's so special about this schoolgirl? Do you want her in your harem?"

"Mr. Eames," Saito growled with his Japanese accent "I assure you that I have no interest in putting myself in illicit affairs particularly with a high school girl. I am not interested in lolicon."

"Loli-what?" Arthur asked. "Enlighten us. Why this girl?"

Saito stood up from his chair and looked outside the veranda. Paris was such a lovely town. It was very different from downtown Tokyo. Of course Tokyo had its own charm, but Saito thought that once in a while, peace like this is fine too. Sometimes, Tokyo is a bit too noisy for his liking. He breathed in the air, and finally spoke, his back to the team.

"This girl, Haruhi Suzumiya is the Prime Dreamer."

"Prime Dreamer?" Cobb asked.

"Her subconscious can alter reality." Saito said, facing the team.

* * *

"Who's reading what?"

Arthur blinked. It was Yusef, the Chemist.

"Eames. He's thinking that Cobb might be getting into some after-school fling with Japanese schoolgirls." Arthur said, dryly.

"Ah. Well, is that in line with the _running gag_ that Cobb has it bad for a certain young Architect?" Yusef grinned.

"Of course, Mr. Chemist, of course." Eames said, patting Yusef on the back.

"I've really never thought of Cobb targeting young women." Yusef joked.

The thought of Cobb romantically pursuing a girl who's probably old enough to be his daughter made Arthur scoff deep inside. But really, no one can deny that ever since they met Ariadne, Cobb's been different. Arthur can't exactly say what was different about him, but whatever it was, it was probably best for his friend and partner-in-crime.

Eames and Yusef, before Arthur knew it, were already a few steps in front of him, talking about some non-coherent, irrelevant stuff.

_Maybe it was the best for the team as well_, he thought.

* * *

Cobb frowned as he sat outside the college. None of the students that Miles had given him were as good, or nearly as good as Ariadne was. He gave each and every one of them the maze-construction problem, but they all failed miserably.

"You can't find another Architect, can you?"

It was Ariadne. She was carrying her books and blueprints. Her eyebrows were raised, as if to say, _'I told you so'_.

"Ariadne, what are you doing here?" Cobb said, standing up to meet her face.

"Cobb, I'm here to be your Architect once more."

"Ariadne…"

"You took me in the first time. So why can't you take me with you in this job?"

"Because I—" Cobb frowned.

"Because you think that you'd be dragging me to trouble? Because you think that I will follow your footsteps? That this is no job for someone like me? Or is it because you can't stand to think that you're leading another woman into a dream where she wouldn't want to wake up from?"

"I just don't want to mess up your life." Cobb said. "I know that an Architect's greatest desire is _pure creation_. I just don't want you to fall into a downward spiral where reality isn't enough for you anymore."

"Well, maybe you should've thought of that, when _you first chose me to be part of your team_!"

Cobb stared at Ariadne's livid eyes. She was right. She always was. He wasn't thinking. How many lives had he pulled into this dangerous world of his? Mal, Arthur, and now… Even Ariadne.

"It's too late, Cobb!" Ariadne shouted. "Even my dreams aren't enough anymore. The feeling of pure creation is like a drug. A drug that you slipped into me the first time you showed me the dream world. Heck, even your wife appears in my dreams! That's how sharing your dreams have affected me!"

Cobb buried his face in his hands.

"She's always in my dreams." Ariadne said. "But there are nights when she doesn't do anything. She just stays there. Like a normal projection. Unless…"

"Unless what?" he said, looking at her.

"Unless I see a projection of you." Ariadne said.

"Has she tried to do anything?"

"The last time you went in my dream was the _only_ time she did anything."

* * *

The trio of Eames, Arthur and Yusef had already reached the penthouse. Saito was already seated at the far end of a long table. He motioned for the three to take their places on the table.

"Well, where is our Extractor?"

"Still not back from work." Arthur said. "Isn't school over by now?"

"Well, he's supposed to get as close as possible to the Mark and her friends." Saito said. "Without anyone getting suspicious."

"Saito, we could just always get the Mark immediately, _then_ put her under. What's with 'getting close to her friends'?" Eames asked.

"We've talked about this, Mr. Eames." Saito shook his head. "The Mark is heavily monitored and observed by different factions."

"Obviously, when you've got the ability to bend reality, then a lot of spies must be after you." Arthur shot at Eames' direction.

"I'm sorry, Arthur, darling." Eames said "But I still find it difficult to believe that there is such a thing as a Prime Dreamer."

"Same here, Eames." Arthur said. "But a job is a job."

"The plan is in place. By now, Mr. Cobb will have gained the trust of Haruhi Suzumiya." Saito said.

Just then, the door opened.

"I've made contact with the Mark."

It was none other than the Extractor himself.

"Ah. Mr. Cobb. I daresay you've already gotten the Brigade to agree to an overseas trip?" Saito smiled.

"Yes, Saito. Although there was an attempt by a Brigade member to reschedule the flight to next weekend, but I was able to convince Ms. Suzumiya to consider my offer instead of his."

"Looks like we better keep an eye out for that Brigade member. He might be on to us." Arthur said, rummaging around the files of the SOS Brigade he researched. "Is he, by any chance, the so-called 'esper'?"

"Yes. Itsuki Koizumi from Class 1-9." Cobb said, taking one of the folders Arthur was reading. "Transferred to North High just this spring."

"It says here he works for an 'Agency'." Arthur said. "So I would assume that he's one of the 'spies' sent to guard Ms. Suzumiya. You better watch out."

"Indeed. This Koizumi fellow might be onto us. I think it is best to gain his trust all the more." Saito coughed. "So, Mr. Cobb...I will be playing the role of a kind, rich, Uncle Saito this Saturday?"

"Yes." Cobb then asked, "I suppose our Architect has the layers ready?"

At these words, another person entered the room.

"So sorry I'm late, I was just doing some finishing touches to the third layer…"

Cobb smiled at the person.

"No problem, _Ariadne_. No problem at all."

* * *

**A/N:** Wheeee! XD Chapter 5 done! Thanks for reading! R&R!

**On the next chapter:**

"Kyon-kun. It's been a long time."

Standing in front of Kyon's house was none other than the Older Mikuru Asahina.

"Asahina-san, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to give you this." She said.

Kyon took the small object from her hand.

It was a metal _jack._

* * *

"Was Zhou dreaming that he was a butterfly? Or was it the butterfly dreaming that it was Zhou?" Nagato stated out monotonously.

"I don't understand, Nagato."

"Remember it."


	6. Chapter 6: The Warning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Haruhi Suzumiya and/or Inception or anything related.**

**A/N: **I know nothing much happened in the last chapter… but it will have its purpose. Soon. XD

And yeah, sorry for not updating much… School's been kinda rough. I hate writing for academic purposes. Ugh. I dislike being cold and formal…

WARNING: If you have not seen Inception yet, then go see it before you read this. It goes without saying that there will be MAJOR SPOILERS for the movie.

Also, for this fic, I assume that Cobb got back to reality. Screw whether the top falls in the end, I've got fanfiction.

**Title: The Inception of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Synopsis: **

Dom Cobb thought that his life as an extractor was over. He didn't realize that while he was no longer an extractor, he would be asked to become an inceptor. And his first target after the Fischer job? A girl named Haruhi Suzumiya.

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Warning**

Kyon stood by his room's window. The moon shone brightly upon his face as he looked towards the sky. He looked down at his hand, clenching and unclenching it.

He tried to sleep that night, but he couldn't. It was as if something was bothering him.

Maybe it was the prospect of flying to America that weekend…

But come on, it was just a flight. Kyon thought. If anything, this would turn out like that time when we went to Keiichi-san's island.

Tapping his feet lightly on the bedroom floor, Kyon gave out a sigh.

"Maybe that's why I feel like this."

He looked outside the window, peering over the front lawn, and into the street.

Something caught his eye.

Beside the nearest lamp post, a figure stood, as if waiting for him to acknowledge its presence.

Kyon's eyes widened as he recognized the figure.

* * *

Likewise, Cobb found himself staring outside the hotel window. He was twirling a glass of half-drunk champagne in his right hand, staring at the liquid pensively.

Eames and Arthur were busy discussing the plan of action to the team members. Cobb didn't feel like listening. The Extractor, hated to admit it, but the more he hears the plan, the more he gets nervous.

"It seems that you are a bit… disoriented, Mr. Cobb."

He turned. It was Saito.

"Me?" he gave a smirk. "The most skilled Extractor? Disoriented?"

"I understand if you don't want to admit to me that you are… worried that this job won't go well."

"We just need to stick to the plan."

"Haruhi Suzumiya is no ordinary target. She has a high tendency to reject any idea we plant into her mind."

"If we get out unscathed, we have no assurance that the idea will stick into her mind. She might even reject it all together."

"Which is why I got you for the job." Saito said. "Only you can find a way to stick that idea in her mind. Perhaps you should join the discussion. It would be more prudent that way."

Cobb drank the rest of the champagne and followed the Tourist back into the discussion room.

* * *

Careful to not wake his parents and sister up, Kyon made his way outside the house and met with the person standing beside the lamp post outside his house.

As he approached the figure, he heard it say:

"Kyon-kun. It's been a long time."

Lovely long orange-colored hair flowing in an elegant curl, a vivacious body in a white dress shirt with a matching grey A-line skirt to complete the whole office lady look, standing in front of Kyon's house was none other than the Older Mikuru Asahina.

"Asahina-san, what are you doing here?" Kyon said, halfway between nostalgia and surprise.

"I'm here to give you this." She said as she reached out her right hand towards him.

Kyon took the small object from her hand.

It was a metal _jack._

"Uh… you want me to play jackstone?"

She giggled softly.

"No. But that will serve its purpose one day. Keep it."

"What is it for?"

"Kyon-kun, I cannot give you the specifics, but an event will take place soon. It will be unavoidable."

* * *

"So on the first layer, we will be more focused on separating Haruhi Suzumiya from her friends." Eames explained, scribbling on the whiteboard. "Why not actually separate her before we even put her under?"

"Because if anything, the agents sent to observe and/or protect Haruhi Suzumiya will act, and we'll be in terrible shape if they do." Arthur responded.

"Very good, Arthur! Ten points to Gryffindor!" The British Forger exclaimed. "Not only that, but we could also note any significant relationships she may have with the members of the SOS Brigade."

"So, on the second layer, we'll use the member that Haruhi trusts the most, right?" Ariadne asked.

"Not exactly." Cobb replied. "We won't be putting that member under the second layer. We'll have Eames impersonate that member, and gain Haruhi's trust so that in the third layer…"

"Haruhi would trust us enough to open the safe and generate the idea herself." Saito finished.

"Normally, the idea we want to plant into her mind is a simple one, and can even be done without performing an Inception on any other normal person… however, in Ms. Suzumiya's case, telling her outright will only make her reject the idea, and her mind would generate the opposite of the idea." Cobb explained.

"She's full of paradoxes and contradictions." Arthur explained. "Add to that the fact that she's pretty much the Prime Dreamer. The stakes are really high. Any mistake we make, and it affects reality itself."

"So we cannot, in any way, afford to make her, or anyone, fall into Limbo." Said Cobb.

Ariadne's eyes shone, meeting Cobb's icy-blue ones.

* * *

Kyon went back into bed after talking with the Older Asahina. He touched the small metal jack, twirling it around his fingers.

He's in for a long weekend. He just knows it.

* * *

"Yusef."

"What can I do for you, Ariadne?"

The young girl bit her lip.

"About the sedative we're gonna use this time… You said it was a tad bit stronger than the last one we used before."

"Ah, that's because according to Arthur's research, one of the SOS Brigade wasn't, strictly speaking, human."

"I-I don't understand…"

"Her chemical composition is different from a human's. Yet it's not that different. Her body seems to be organic, for the most part, but somehow, it seems as if it was also robotic."

"Kinda like an android or something?"

"Yeah. Like a bionic woman." Yusef puffed up, proudly. "But my new Protosomnacin work on her! Don't you worry about that!"

At this, Ariadne was worried.

"What about the effects on us? We're no androids, and the chemical would be shared among all of us, right?"

"Well, we've redesigned the PAS-IV to regulate the somnacin dose on us regular humans." Yusef said. "Everything will be fine."

Yusef patted Ariadne's back.

"If you are worrying about Cobb, or anyone else getting stuck in Limbo because of the drug, you need not to. We made it through last time, right?"

"Yeah… but barely." She whispered.

As Ariadne walked away, bidding goodnight to the Chemist, Yusef sighed.

"Actually, I'm afraid that at least one of us might not wake up from it." He whispered.

* * *

The next day at North High the day proceeded as normal. Mr. Cobb was still on second period, Mr. Mikido on fifth, algebra was still a pain, and the girls still greeted Mr. Cobb with a smile as he walked down the hallways.

Haruhi took the latter as an annoyance, and remained disgruntled earlier during Mr. Cobb's class. He even tried to get her to participate, by asking her to read a passage from Romeo and Juliet, but Haruhi would have none of it. This made Cobb wonder whether or not he did something wrong to annoy her.

After class, he approached Kyon, who he met on the way to the old shack.

"Hey Kyon, was it?" Mr. Cobb said jovially to the boy, one would not think of him as a teacher.

Kyon turned to face the new English teacher.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Fire away, sir."

"I was wondering why Haruhi's acting that way… In class earlier. Did I say something wrong?" The American smiled feebly.

Kyon recalled having the same conversation with Haruhi earlier on, during lunch time.

* * *

"Hey Haruhi."

The girl seated beside the window had her left hand on her chin, apparently looking bored and annoyed.

"What?", she replied sharply, without looking at the boy seated in front of her.

"What's with your attitude towards Mr. Cobb during second period?"

"I don't find Romeo and Juliet interesting. That's all." Was her reply.

"That's still no way to talk to him. He's gone out of his way to provide the Brigade with something to do, and yet…"

"…I don't like the way the other students treat him! He's our Faculty Adviser!"

Kyon was shocked with this answer. Mainly because Haruhi actually blurted out how she felt.

_Pinch me, I must be dreaming,_ Kyon thought.

This was Haruhi Suzumiya we're talking about, and for her to actually say how she feels, was saying something.

Moreover, Haruhi spoke as if she was a lioness protecting her cub.

_Or should I say, a Haruhi protecting her Cobb._ Kyon smirked at the pun.

The fact remains that Kyon can see that Haruhi is starting to be _protective _(if not overprotective) of her Brigade Members, and this was a great, if not significant change in the girl.

_Either that, _Kyon thought, _or Haruhi was being her usual selfish self again._

_

* * *

_

After talking it out with Mr. Cobb, who got dragged away by Okabe-sensei to the Faculty Meeting before he could follow, Kyon eventually reached the clubroom, only to find the only occupant, Yuki Nagato, reading yet another book in the corner.

Kyon looked at the cover. It was a novel in English, written by a certain Lisa McMann.

"Is that book interesting?" he asked.

"Useful." She replied.

Without warning, Yuki Nagato closed the book, and walked towards Kyon.

"Was Zhou dreaming that he was a butterfly? Or was it the butterfly dreaming that it was Zhou?" Nagato stated out monotonously.

Kyon looked at the alien in front of him. Her eyes unblinking, staring into his own. Her hand was holding the book in front of him. As if she wanted him to take it.

"I don't understand, Nagato." Kyon gulped.

"Remember it."

* * *

"Hey Cobb. How'd the second day go?"

Arthur was seated comfortably on the couch of the hotel lobby, with him is Eames, who was scratching his scruffy chin, apparently lost in thought, and Yusef, who was fidgeting with what Cobb recognized, was Ariadne's iPod.

"Good news." Cobb replied, "Haruhi Suzumiya was disgruntled in my class."

"Cobb, darling, I love your sarcasm." Eames chimed.

"No, I wasn't being sarcastic, Eames." Cobb said, sitting down on an empty chair opposite Yusef. "Apparently, the cause of her annoyance was that I was pretty popular and on good terms with the other students."

"Which means?" Yusef asked, taking out the left earphone.

"We've gained her trust. Haruhi Suzumiya has now counted me as a… _valuable_ SOS Brigade member." Cobb smiled.

* * *

**A/N:** Whew! And that's it for now! Thanks to all you guys who added my humble story into your Faves List and your Alerts! Thankslots! And of course, a major major thank you to you guys who reviewed!

**In the next chapter:**

"This is freaking awesome!" Haruhi yelled. "We're on a private jet to the United States of America! I can't believe this! This is a dream come true!"

"Haruhi, will you keep quiet. It's embarrassing." Kyon said.

"Ah... There is no need to worry about that."

The SOS Brigade looked around. A Japanese man was standing beside Mr. Cobb.

"Good morning, young ones." He said. "I am Mr. Saito, and I welcome you to my humble plane."

* * *

"I believe you're no ordinary flight attendant." Koizumi winked at the young brunette. "Have we met before?"

"I'm sorry sir. I don't remember seeing you before today." She replied.

"Oh… I must have been mistaken… Pardon my insolence. Well, I'll have coffee for my drink please," Koizumi said. "Miss Ariadne."

* * *

"Cobb, I think they're onto us." Ariadne whispered, pinning Cobb against the wall of the small restroom cabin.

"Relax, Ariadne." Cobb said "And…. Could you let go of me? If anyone sees us in this position, they'd be more suspicious."


	7. Chapter 7: The Trip Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Haruhi Suzumiya and/or Inception or anything related.**

**A/N: **So I kinda had this other plot bunny for another Haruhi/Inception fic.. Shameless promotion alert: When Dreams Collapse, under the Haruhi Suzumiya series category.

Oh, and I edited the preview in the last chapter. I changed stewardess to flight attendant, seeing as it's the better term.

Also, sorry for not updating in an incredibly long time. Reality bites, and I had to get my head checked because I've been having frequent migraines. Nothing serious, thank goodness.

WARNING: If you have not seen Inception yet, then go see it before you read this. It goes without saying that there will be MAJOR SPOILERS for the movie.

Also, for this fic, I assume that Cobb got back to reality. Screw whether the top falls in the end, I've got fanfiction.

**Title: The Inception of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Synopsis: **

Dom Cobb thought that his life as an extractor was over. He didn't realize that while he was no longer an extractor, he would be asked to become an inceptor. And his first target after the Fischer job? A girl named Haruhi Suzumiya.

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Trip (Part 1)**

Saturday has finally arrived. The meeting place, as usual, was in front of the station, 9AM. Kyon was dragging his luggage and running around like crazy, his wristwatch said 7:50 AM. He was determined to get there at least an hour before Haruhi's ultimatum, or else he'd be treating the entire brigade for a week, and his wallet sure cannot handle such torture.

"C'mon…" Kyon said, gritting his teeth.

To his delight, only three out of the five SOS Brigade members were in the usual meeting place: Mikuru Asahina, who stood up from the bench she was sitting on upon acknowledging his presence; Itsuki Koizumi, waving merrily at him; and Yuki Nagato, who only looked up once from the book she was reading, and then proceeded to return to it immediately.

"It's a good thing you made it before Suzumiya-san." Koizumi said, as he slowly approached the newcomer. "We would like to talk to you for a second about this trip."

"If you're planning another murder mystery-"

"I assure you that there is nothing under my sleeve." The young esper smiled. "However, the nature of this trip is in question. It has not been approved by the Agency, but when I brought it to the higher ops that Suzumiya-san will not take the cancellation of this event lightly, I was warned to proceed with caution."

Koizumi shrugged his shoulders and said,

"In any case, I should advise you not to let Suzumiya-san out of your sight. America is a new place for her, and no doubt, she'll be running around everywhere. The last thing we want is someone to kidnap her."

Kyon frowned, "Why are you telling me all this?"

"It's just a precaution." Koizumi replied. "My superiors have suggested that this is the perfect situation for any opposing faction to strike. We would not want that to happen, now would we?"

With a flick of his hair, the esper walked away, politely asking the silent Nagato if he could sit beside her.

A few minutes later, Haruhi Suzumiya arrived, slightly disgruntled that she had arrived later than her brigade members; Kyon in particular. She told them that Mr. Cobb has already contacted her, and said that his acquaintance's company car would be picking them up near the station. To Haruhi's delight, said company car was a limousine.

"Wow! Mr. Cobb's acquaintance must be filthy rich and really generous!" Haruhi yelped. "We're going to the airport in style! Look at this! A beautiful black limousine with some fancy-schmancy television thingy inside… And wow! There's even a champagne compartment!"

Haruhi flipped a switch inside the car, repeatedly opening and closing the champagne compartment. Kyon grabbed her hand away and told her to stop playing with the limo.

"Hmm…"Haruhi said loudly. "I wonder if Mr. Cobb's acquaintance is not an ordinary businessman… Maybe he's the CEO of some top-notch electronics company, or… Probably a head of a Yakuza clan! But then… how would an ordinary teacher like Mr. Cobb be friends with someone like him… hmm…"

Haruhi scratched her chin in concentration, then continued yammering.

"I know! Mr. Cobb is not an ordinary teacher!" Haruhi yelled, pointing her index finger. "Maybe Mr. Cobb is a secret agent! Yeah! And he saved the life of this rich businessman friend of his! Yeah! That would be it!"

"Haruhi. It's not our business to know." Kyon sighed as Haruhi continued her talk.

"Or maybe, Mr. Cobb is actually a skilled thief who was hired by this rich CEO guy to pull-off the most incredible heist ever!"

Kyon put his palm to his face and shook his head.

"Haruhi, Mr. Cobb would never be a thief. He's just your average, everyday, English teacher who everyone gets along with."

The limousine pulled to a halt, and when the driver opened the door, they were standing in what seemed to be a private airport. The sight of a large, black Boeing 747 greeted them.

"Oh, this must be a private jet. Looks like a business class plane to me." Koizumi said, squinting slightly at the sun's glare. "Mr. Cobb's acquaintance must really be rich."

"This is freaking awesome!" Haruhi yelled. "We're on a private jet to the United States of America! I can't believe this! This is a dream come true!"

"Haruhi, will you keep quiet. It's embarrassing." Kyon said.

"Ah... There is no need to worry about that."

The SOS Brigade looked around. A Japanese man was standing beside Mr. Cobb.

"Good morning, young ones." He said. "I am Mr. Saito, and I welcome you to my humble plane."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Saito. I'm Haruhi Suzumiya, and these are my Brigade Members!" Haruhi said, excitedly, pointing

"My, you are quite the enthusiastic girl, are you not?" Saito chuckled. "Mr. Cobb here has informed me that you will be flying to California with us. I daresay this will be your first time here, hmm?"

"Indeed, good sir." Replied Koizumi "None of us have been to America before."

Saito turned around to meet the esper with the eternally smiling face. He raised his eyebrows slightly at the boy, as if to scrutinize him.

"My apologies, good sir. My name is Itsuki Koizumi." Said Koizumi with a full bow. "I am the SOS Brigade's Vice Commander."

Saito bowed his head slightly to acknowledge the boy.

"Koizumi, is it? Are you in any way related to the former Prime Minister of Japan, Junichiro Koizumi?"

Koizumi chuckled.

"It's a common misconception, sir. I write Koizumi as 'old spring'. I am in no way related to him." Koizumi smiled a bit more, "I'm just a transfer student."

"Ah, I see. Well, then, let's get on the plane, shall we?" Saito smiled and gestured towards the plane.

Inside the plane were comfortable-looking seats. On these seats were three men in tailored suits, talking to one another while drinking some champagne.

"For god's sake, old chap, you need to lay off the champagne." Said the British man to a plump man who seemed to be of Indian descent.

"I hate to say this, Yusef, but Eames is right." Said the youngest of the three "We wouldn't want a repeat of the last time."

"Aha bloody ha, Arthur." Said the man addressed as Yusef. "I won't be responsible for another rainy-"

At this, Saito cleared his throat, cutting the conversation off.

"Greetings gentlemen." He said in English with his thick Japanese accent. "I assume you are all ready for the meeting?"

"Ah, Mr. Saito!" The British man, Mr. Eames looked up. "Of course we are! Our group is very much interested in what Proclus Global has to offer."

"Indeed, Mr. Eames. I do hope that by the time we reach California, we'll have an understanding on the terms." Saito smiled. "Oh, and I would like to introduce you to a few friends of mine who will be tagging along our flight."

Saito cleared his throat and pointed to the group behind him.

"Everyone, this is an acquaintance of mine. Mr. Dom Cobb, and his students."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, good sirs." Cobb took out his hand, as the other gentlemen shook it. "I apologize for tagging along on your trip,

"My, such lovely young girls and dashing young men." Eames chuckled, turning towards the direction of a certain time-traveler. "Especially you darling… What did you say your name was, again?"

Flustered at the question, Mikuru Asahina stammered.

"Uh… I-I…"

"Her name's Mikuru Asahina! She's our SOS Brigade's official mascot!" Haruhi put her arm around Mikuru's shoulder and grinned proudly. "I'm Haruhi Suzumiya, by the way! That quiet girl is Yuki Nagato, that tall guy is Itsuki Koizumi, and that one over there, yeah, that's Kyon."

"You didn't even bother telling them my full name." Kyon snarled.

"Well, I doubt that it'll be of any importance to them." Haruhi snapped back.

At this, Saito chuckled. "Isn't she such an enthusiastic girl? Anyway, let us all take our seats now. The plane will be leaving any moment."

Cobb and the SOS Brigade went to the middle compartment, as Saito and his associates will be discussing business matters in the first compartment.

"This is so awesome!" Haruhi yelled. "Hey, Mr. Cobb, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it, Ms. Suzumiya?" said Cobb, looking up from the magazine he was reading.

"How did you meet Mr. Saito? You two seemed like pretty close friends." Haruhi's eyes rounded in curiosity.

"Oi, Haruhi!" Kyon remarked. "Don't just pry into someone's life like that!"

Cobb scratched his chin and smiled. "Well, let's just say I used to work under him."

"How? You're a teacher, right?"

"Other than teaching English, I used to be an Architect. Mr. Saito hired me to design some buildings for him."

"Oh." Said Haruhi, looking slightly disappointed.

"Anything wrong, Ms. Suzumiya?"

"Nothing, Mr. Cobb… Hey, what else do you do for a living? Are you a secret government spy…." Haruhi yammered on and on.

Cobb looked at his watch. It was probably about time. He smiled, and continued to engross himself in a conversation with Haruhi and Kyon.

Koizumi moved around in his seat, eying Cobb suspiciously, and then tried to engage Yuki Nagato in a conversation. However, the purple-haired alien would have none of it. Mikuru Asahina, on the other hand, was looking out the window, admiring the view. Wondering as to what might be so "amazing" about the outside view of a plane, Koizumi decided to look out the window.

As he turned to look out the window, he heard a soft, feminine voice to his right.

"Would you like anything to drink, sir?"

Koizumi turned around. Here was a flight attendant, smiling at him. She had her auburn brown hair in a bun, and her lips were cherry red with lipstick. She was definitely older than him (he guessed from the fact that she worked that she was at her late twenties), but she still looked as if she was around his age.

"I believe you're no ordinary flight attendant." Koizumi winked at the young brunette. "Have we met before?"

"I'm sorry sir. I don't remember seeing you before today." She replied, slightly backing away from him.

"Oh… I must have been mistaken… Pardon my insolence. Well, I'll have coffee for my drink please," Koizumi said, as she nervously turned away from him. "Miss _Ariadne_."

At those words, the flight attendant turned to look at him, her eyes widening a bit.

"Pardon, sir?"

"Oh, I meant.. Miss _**Arianne.**_ It says '_Arianne_' on your nametag." Koizumi said matter-of-factly. "I must have misread it."

Ariadne nodded. She shifted her eyes slowly to the left, and saw Yuki Nagato transfixed at her.

"Well then, sir, I'll get your coffee." She said as she left.

Cobb saw this little exchange between the Esper and the Architect. Worried, he excused himself from Haruhi and decided to follow Ariadne towards the back of the plane.

When he got there, he saw Ariadne frantically making a cup of coffee.

"Ariadne?"

"Cobb?" she turned around. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to check if you were okay."

"I-I'm fine… Everything's fine."

"Don't lie, Ariadne. I heard your conversation with Koizumi over there."

Ariadne sighed, looked around the small compartment frantically, and proceeded to suddenly lock herself with Cobb in the small restroom cabin.

"Ariadne! What the hell are you doing!"

"Cobb, I think they're onto us." Ariadne whispered, pinning Cobb against the wall of the small restroom cabin.

"Relax, Ariadne." Cobb said "And…. Could you let go of me? If anyone sees us in this position, they'd be more suspicious."

Realizing how awkward and inappropriate the situation was, Ariadne let go of Cobb, leaning against the wall.

"I-I'm sorry, Cobb…"

"It's okay. I know you were just worried about the mission."

"Do you think this will work? I have a feeling that they've got us background checked."

"It's a good idea we're on a plane to the States. The Agency won't have that much people after us."

"Yeah."

"Good. Now, I think Mr. Koizumi is waiting for his coffee now. You go prepare their drinks."

Cobb looked at Ariadne. She knows exactly what he means.

This was gonna be a long flight.

* * *

**A/N: **Whew! Finally! Updated! YES! I know, I've been out for a really long while. And I'm sorry if I had to leave the actual scenes in California out in this chapter. I originally planned this to be included in this chapter, but I had a little bit of fun with writing Saito, Koizumi, Eames and the Cobb/Ariadne confrontation scene.

I promise, the next chapter will be including the other scenes I posted on the preview last time.

Thanks to all the people who read this, added it to their Favorites list and their Story Alerts, and those who reviewed! This really means so much to me!

* * *

_**In the next chapter:**_

"Wow! San Francisco's really awesome!" Haruhi yelled, opening her arms around and twirling in the street.

"Haruhi, stop that. Everyone's looking at you, it's embarrassing." Kyon said.

* * *

"I did _not_ expect this. What kind of projections are these?" Arthur yelled, ducking under a sturdy office table. The projections behind him just literally smashed the wall with their strength.

"Well, Arthur darling, what do you expect?" Eames yelled back, aiming his gun at the attacking projections "She's the Prime Dreamer!"

* * *

"Nagato, can't you do something about this?"

"Connection with the Integrated Data Entity has been severed. My data manipulating abilities have been reduced to one third of what it was."


	8. Chapter 8: The Trip Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Haruhi Suzumiya and/or Inception or anything related.**

**A/N: **This is the second part of the previous chapter, which I had to split.

WARNING: If you have not seen Inception yet, then go see it before you read this. It goes without saying that there will be MAJOR SPOILERS for the movie.

Also, for this fic, I assume that Cobb got back to reality. Screw whether the top falls in the end, I've got fanfiction.

**Title: The Inception of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Synopsis: **

Dom Cobb thought that his life as an extractor was over. He didn't realize that while he was no longer an extractor, he would be asked to become an inceptor. And his first target after the Fischer job? A girl named Haruhi Suzumiya.

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Trip (Part 2)**

The flight to California was nothing short of quick. In fact, Kyon could've sworn that he fell asleep during the entire ride, and now here they were, approaching a landing strip in what seemed to be yet another private airport, as the PA system told them to stay in their seats while the plane is landing.

The landing was quick and smooth, just as expected of a high-class flight. Carrying their belongings, Cobb, the SOS Brigade, and Mr. Saito and his associates made their way off the plane. Kyon swore that he saw Koizumi winking towards the direction of the flight attendant, who seemed to be taken aback with this gesture.

_Well, at least he's not putting his face anywhere close to mine,_ Kyon thought.

It was decided that Cobb and the SOS Brigade were to stay in Saito's hotel somewhere in San Francisco for the entire duration of the trip. Mr. Saito himself offered an entire floor of the hotel for the travelers. Cobb wanted the kids to settle down at the hotel first, but Haruhi Suzumiya would have none of it.

"Since we're already in America, let's take advantage of the daytime!" she proclaimed loudly. "We're going off for a Mystery Hunt!"

"Haruhi, California's such a big place! We won't even know where to start!" complained Kyon.

"Kyon! Don't you know there's no time to waste?" Haruhi pouted, pointing a finger at him. "We're here already, might as well start early! That way, aliens, time-travelers, espers, and other paranormal beings would be taken by surprise!"

"And what about our luggage? You don't expect us to carry these things along while we search the streets of California, do you?" Kyon sighed.

"Not to worry." Saito chimed. "I will have the hotel staff carry your belongings to your respective rooms. You enjoy the day here at California."

"Geez, Saito, I can't thank you enough for all this." Cobb said.

"Not to worry, Mr. Cobb. I am deeply indebted to you, and this is but a small gesture, compared to what you have done for me and my company." Saito smiled. "Well, I suggest you best get moving while it's still early. Time is money, you know."

At these words, a shiny red SUV pulled up in front of them.

"I'll lend you one of my old cars." Saito smirked. "I figured it would be… _attention-grabbing _if you cruise around town with a limousine. And I figured that this vehicle would be more appropriate for your activities."

"Wow! This is great! We shall call it the SOS Mobile!" Haruhi yelled, pulling Mikuru towards the vehicle.

"Su-Suzumiya-san?" Mikuru asked "Wh-who's going to drive?"

"I'll drive. I've got a license here in California. And besides, that's what Faculty Advisers are for, eh?" Cobb said, as Saito tossed him the keys.

Waving good-bye to Saito and his associates, the SOS Brigade rode the car, zooming out of sight.

"So it begins?" Arthur asked Saito.

"So it begins." Saito smirked.

* * *

"Wow! San Francisco's really awesome!" Haruhi yelled, opening her arms around and twirling in the street.

"Haruhi, stop that. Everyone's looking at you, it's embarrassing." Kyon said.

Haruhi Suzumiya was having the time of her life being in an entirely new place. Her topaz eyes widened in excitement, taking in the world around her.

"This is good. Suzumiya-san's mental state seems to be stable." Koizumi whispered to Kyon. "There should be no Closed Space that will appear."

"Yeah, but what if she decides to alter reality? Mind you, we're not in Japan anymore." Kyon snarled.

"Oh. Not to worry." Koizumi smiled. "The Agency also has people within the US Government, and some agents around the world in case of a catastrophe. My primary concern is that the opposing factions may also have their own people on to us at this very moment. Just keep Suzumiya-san in your sight."

Kyon sighed. Haruhi kept yelling praises for the difference between Japanese skyscrapers and American ones.

"You know, Tokyo Skyscrapers are all glass and neon lights and stuff, it's kinda loud! But here, some buildings are made out of gravel and bricks and stone and so forth! It's almost like classical architecture! I would've also thought I'd see one of those rail-car thingies, but I guess they're not here..."

Kyon looked around and thought_, "This doesn't look anything like one of those places from San Francisco postcards._" He then shrugged it off, thinking _"Well, there must really be more to California than what they show in postcards". _His thoughts were cut off by the sound of Cobb laughing in reply to Haruhi.

"Yeah. There is a subtle difference between the designs. I'm surprised you noticed that, Miss Suzumiya. You could be an Architect someday."

Koizumi winced a bit, and then whispered. "The last thing we need is for Suzumiya-san to be an Architect someday."

Before Kyon could ask Koizumi what was wrong with Haruhi deciding to become an Architect, he noticed that more people are looking at them, not seeming to like the ruckus Haruhi was creating as she chattered animatedly.

"I think you should tell Suzumiya-san to calm down a bit. Looks like Americans don't like noise." Koizumi said.

* * *

It would appear to Kyon, that once again, Haruhi's interest in doing an actual "search" has been replaced by her desire to have fun. As Haruhi's next request was for Cobb drove the entire group to a nearby carnival she saw.

The carnival was situated well outside the heart of the city, near the park. It was what one would expect of a typical carnival: booths and stalls of games and cotton candy and popcorn, clowns holding colorful balloons, children running and blowing bubbles, along with their parents trying to catch them.

"I'll go look for a place to park the car! You guys go on ahead and have fun. I'll meet you guys at the carousel by five! Don't do anything that will cause you trouble, okay?" Cobb smiled, waving the car keys he was holding.

"We won't, Mr. Cobb." Koizumi smiled, waving as the adviser made his way towards the car, and drove off.

"A carnival! I've been to Obon festivals, but never Carnivals like these! Come on, Mikuru! I want to see if they have goldfish catching!" Haruhi yelled.

"U-uwaaa…" said the time-traveler, as Haruhi dragged her by the arm.

Kyon sighed. Western-style carnivals don't have goldfish catching. He turned to see Yuki Nagato staring at what was called a cotton candy, carefully examining how sugar was spun into a soft, edible thread. A few minutes later, she had bought one.

"This feels almost like that time we went to the Obon festival." Kyon said, as he watched Nagato take dainty bites at the cotton candy.

Koizumi laughed. "It's interesting to note the subtle similarities between Japanese and American cultures, isn't it? For instance, instead of a goldfish-catching booth, they have dice games and number games. A roulette or a tombola, perhaps."

"What's your point?"

"The point is that while a goldfish-catching booth requires skill, most booths here require some sort of luck with numbers."

Kyon looked at Koizumi. "And what's so interesting about that?"

Koizumi's eyes narrowed. "In gambling, you need more than luck to win. You need the knowledge of _**probability**_."

* * *

Haruhi and Mikuru made their way towards a nearby booth with a huge table with numbers on it. The booth was run by two men, both dressed up as clowns. One clown was wearing a red suit with a blue wig and smiling at them, the other was wearing a blue suit with a red wig, looking as if he wasn't pleased with his job.

"Wow! So many numbers!" Haruhi yelled. "What are these for?"

"Well, missy, this is a betting table!" said the clown in the red suit. "you bet on three numbers, and if we draw those numbers from this tombola 'ere, you win a prize!"

"That's three dollars for three numbers." Said the clown in blue, his somber expression not changing.

"Awesome! All right then! I'll place a bet!" said Haruhi, handing over three dollars to the somber clown. "And geez, you're a clown! Why so serious?"

"Yeah, why so serious, _darling_?" mocked the clown in red.

"Shut up." Retorted the clown in blue. Turning to Haruhi, he handed three tokens and asked, "What numbers?"

"Hmm…" Haruhi closed her eyes and placed the tokens randomly on the board. Upon opening her eyes, she grinned widely, looking at the numbers she randomly picked.

"_**Four, Eighteen, and Twenty-Seven**_!" Haruhi yelled, placing her tokens on the numbers **04, 18 and 27**.

* * *

"What time is it, Koizumi?" Kyon asked, watching Haruhi from a distance.

Koizumi looked at his watch quickly and said, "Three o' clock. Two hours until Mr. Cobb gets back here."

Yuki Nagato remained glassy-eyed, looking at the carousel in the distance.

"Man. This is boring. I'm too old for a carnival. Why can't we get to see the sights of California instead of this? We're tourists, for heaven's sake! The first thing we should be looking at is the Golden Gate, or Disneyland or something! Instead, the people are looking at _us_!"

Koizumi's eyes narrowed. "Did you say, people were looking at us?"

Yuki Nagato spoke for the very first time, pointing upward.

"There."

* * *

"Yusef, is everything all right?" Cobb asked, closing the car door.

"I've talked to Arthur. They've got the combination." Yusef replied. "Is it all right leaving the SOS Brigade?"

"They can take care of themselves. Besides, we've got team members in the carnival." Cobb said.

"I hope there's no freight train this time, Cobb." Ariadne piped up from behind Yusef.

"I trust you there isn't. We wouldn't have to deal with militarized projections, because no one's altering the dream layout." Cobb said, throwing a gun to Ariadne and Yusef. "But better safe than sorry. I'm meeting them in two hours. Saito, Yusef, Ariadne, you better get in position. You have to drug them before-"

Blam! Something made the wall beside Cobb break down.

* * *

"W-what the hell is that? Koizumi?" Kyon shouted.

Koizumi was frozen in shock, staring at the object in the sky Yuki Nagato was pointing to.

"How could a huge close up of the planet, Jupiter, appear in the middle of the day?" Koizumi whispered. "Unless…"

The people around them flashed their eyes towards Koizumi's direction.

"Koizumi?" Kyon asked, frantically.

"They have detected the source of the anomaly. It is you, Itsuki Koizumi." Nagato pointed at him.

"Anomaly? What do you mean, Koizumi is the cause of the anomaly?"

"We're… not in California." Koizumi whispered, his eyes livid.

"What do you mean, we're not in California? Why is Jupiter there?"

"That thing… Is a product of my subconscious…"

"Your subconscious, Koizumi? But your subconscious can't affect reality!"

"It means…. We're not in California, we're not in reality… We're in a _**dream**_."

* * *

"Cobb!" Ariadne yelled. "Behind you!"

Whatever made the wall break down was making its way towards the four of them.

"Shoot it!" Saito yelled at Yusef.

Yusef, who had the gun, aimed for the projection that was making its way towards them.

"They don't seem to be armed with guns." Cobb said, getting off the ground. "They're just like normal projections armed with super strength."

"What do we do now?" Ariadne asked.

"Change of plans." Said Cobb, picking up a bonnet, placing it over his head "We'll all kidnap Haruhi. Just like we did with Fischer."

"But they will suspect you." Saito replied. "There is more than one Tourist in this job this time."

"We just have to take Haruhi deeper. The SOS Brigade might go after us, but they wouldn't be able to use anything against us." Cobb said, getting into Yusef's van. "Besides, they won't find a way to get to the deeper levels."

"What about that 'alien' girl?" Asked Saito.

"She can't use her powers in this place. If she does, then we can hold her off."

"Why's that?" Ariadne asked.

"Because she doesn't have a subconscious." Cobb replied.

* * *

"What is going on back there?" Haruhi looked around to see people converging around Kyon, Koizumi, and Nagato. "Ky—"

Her sound was muffled as the clown in blue covered her face with a handkerchief. Haruhi fell asleep, drugged by the clown.

"Su-suzumiya-san!"

The clown in red pointed a gun at Mikuru.

"So sorry, love. I've always thought you were pretty. Maybe some other time, eh?" he winked, as the he and the other clown ran off with Haruhi.

* * *

"Nagato, can't you do something about this?"

The projections were moving closer towards them.

"Connection with the Integrated Data Entity has been severed. My data manipulating abilities have been reduced to one third of what it was." Nagato replied monotonously.

"What's gonna happen now? How about you, Koizumi? Can't you blast these things?"

One of the projections lunged towards Nagato, who threw it off with one hand.

"No doubt that we're under a Dream-Sharing device."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means, Suzumiya-san's subconscious is also under it. Which means…"

Koizumi's hands glowed with a red color.

"I can use my powers here."

Koizumi charged towards a projection, cutting it with his glowing hand. Blue liquid-like material dripped from where it was cut.

"I knew it. These projections are also Celestials themselves."

* * *

Meanwhile, Arthur and Eames took Haruhi to a nearby abandoned warehouse.

"I told Cobb to meet us here. Picking Haruhi up at the carnival is too dangerous. Something has alerted the projections." Arthur panted, heaving the unconscious Haruhi onto a table.

"I hope it's not because Cobb brought in his freight train again."

"It's not Cobb. The projections are attacking one of the SOS Brigade Members."

"Well whoever it is, he caused a bloody big deal of a problem for us. Now we have to run away from these Herculean projections."

"I knew Haruhi Suzumiya's subconscious would be somewhat militarized. I just didn't expect they'd be this violent."

"Well, you didn't expect them to be powerful abominations, didn't you Arthur?"

"I did _not_ expect this. What kind of projections are these?" Arthur yelled, ducking under a sturdy office table. The projections behind him just literally smashed the wall with their strength. "I was assured that-"

"Well, Arthur, darling, what do you expect?" Eames yelled back, aiming his gun at the attacking projections "She's the Prime Dreamer!"

* * *

"There's too many of them, Koizumi!"

The swarm of projections kept attacking them.

"Kyon-kun!"

Kyon, Koizumi and Nagato turned around. It was Mikuru Asahina.

"Kyon-kun! They've got Suzumiya-san!"

"What?"

"This is worse than I thought. They might be trying to extract something from Suzumiya-san's mind." Koizumi panted, as he blasted esper fire against the projections.

"Extract? What is going on? If this is a dream, why can't we all just wake up?" Kyon shouted.

"Your nervous system has been imbued with an REM-enhancing substance that will not wear off unless the influx is halted." Nagato explained.

"And even if we did wake up, we need to wake Suzumiya-san first." Koizumi charged up a huge ball of esper fire in his hands and yelled. "Fumoffu!"

The charged ball of fire blasted an entire line of projections, leaving a pathway clear.

"Come on! We have to get Suzumiya-san back!" Koizumi yelled.

Kyon, Koizumi and Nagato ran towards the pathway, meeting up with Asahina-san.

"Let's get in the car."

"W-what car, Koizumi-kun?" Mikuru squeaked.

"This car."

Koizumi pointed to a shiny silver car that suddenly appeared in front of them.

"I've been trained for lucid dreaming. I can dream up things like this. Hop in."

* * *

"Eames!" Arthur yelled. "Eames! Are you alright?"

"Bloody projections!" Eames yelled back, reloading his gun. "I'm fine, Arthur! Is Cobb gonna get here sooner?"

"I hope he does! I can't hold them off Haruhi for long!"

Suddenly, there was the sound of screeching tires, as a white van made it through the smashed wall.

"Hop in!" Yusef yelled.

"About bloody time you got here."

"Well, we had problems of our own, Eames." Cobb replied. "Where's Haruhi?"

"Here she is." Arthur said, handing her over to Cobb. "Quick, put her in the back of the van."

"What do we do now?" Ariadne asked.

"We enter the second dream layer." Arthur said.

"Yusef, just keep driving, they might come after us. One of them is a lucid dreamer." Cobb said.

* * *

Meanwhile, the SOS Brigade were driving around town, looking for any sign of the kidnappers.

"Where could they be?" Koizumi asked, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel.

"Did you see that van, Koizumi?" Kyon yelled from backseat.

"What van, Kyon?" Koizumi said, turning around.

"That speeding white van." Kyon pointed.

"That must be them. Come on!" Koizumi said, turning the wheel around.

* * *

Yusef looked at the rearview mirror.

"There they are. They're after us, Cobb."

"Just keep driving."

* * *

"I've got a plan. Nagato-san, could you hook up our car's bumper onto the back of their van?"

"W-what are you going to do, Koizumi-kun?" Mikuru Asahina piped up.

"I'm going to jump onto it." Koizumi said, as he went out using the open car window. Nagato moved towards the driver seat without so much as a complaint.

"Koizumi!" Kyon yelled.

Koizumi crouched on the car roof.

"Nagato-san, now!"

Nagato stepped on the accelerator, attaching the car onto the van. Koizumi took it as the signal to jump onto the van.

* * *

"What the hell?" Yusef yelled looking up.

"Never mind that." Cobb said. "Keep driving."

* * *

"Oi! Koizumi!" Kyon rolled down his car window and yelled "Blast the roof off and get Haruhi outta there!"

"Allright!" Koizumi yelled back. "I'll blast it!"

Koizumi's hands glowed red.

_**Boom! **_

The silver car spun around, drifting on the asphalt.

"Kyaaaaaaaa~!" Mikuru Asahina yelled, as the car spun around.

* * *

"Did we lose them?" Yusef asked.

"Yeah, we did." Koizumi replied, getting through the door while the van was moving.

"About time you got here." Arthur said, dryly. "We were worried you wouldn't get here because of the change of plans."

"Well, I am here now, Arthur." Koizumi smiled. "And Suzumiya-san?"

"She is asleep, Mr. Koizumi." Saito replied. "It is now time to get to the second layer."

"Good. We're pulling of a Mr. Charles, aren't we, Mr. Cobb?" Koizumi smiled.

"A version of it, yes." Cobb replied as they all hooked themselves onto the PAS-IV.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Kyon shouted as Nagato hit the brakes. "You mean, Koizumi was working for the kidnappers?"

"Kyon-kun…" Mikuru said weakly.

"Damn it!" Kyon shouted. "So now what? Huh?"

"M-maybe th-they're trying to put Suzumiya-san under another layer again…"

"What?"

"I kn-know this technology… In th-the future, they use it for classified information to classified information."

"I don't follow, Asahina-san…" Kyon panted.

"They're not trying to extract information from Suzumiya-san. They're trying to plant one."

"What? How's that possible?"

"Inception." Yuki Nagato replied.

"What?"

Yuki Nagato started up the car and drove towards the direction of the van.

"They are trying to put information in Haruhi Suzumiya's mind by accessing it through what humans call 'dream state'."

"Why?"

"The human mind is vulnerable during this state."

"Not that, Nagato… I mean, why would anyone want to plant an idea into her mind?"

"Because such planted data on Haruhi Suzumiya will affect '**reality**'."

Kyon stopped for a moment, realizing the possible effect this whole trip would have on Haruhi, and the unimaginable trouble she would cause the world.

"How could we stop them?" Kyon said, staring at Nagato's emotionless eyes.

"We need to access the same subconscious dream-state layer they are on."

"N-nagato-san…" Mikuru piped up. "How is that possible? We don't have the technology to-"

"As I am attached to the device, I can provide you with the needed chemical compound to go deeper. In effect, I will serve as a Portable AutoSomnacin IntraVenous."

"A what?" Kyon asked.

"A PAS-IV?" Mikuru squeaked. "Nagato-san, you will be our PAS-IV? But that means you won't get under, right?"

"I will be able to follow you for every layer you go into, except for the shared subconscious. However, as I descend every layer, my connection with the Integrated Data Entity weakens. My data manipulation abilities decrease every layer."

"Well, never mind that. At least you're with us, right?"

Nagato's eyes blinked, looking at Kyon's.

"Yes."

* * *

**A/N:** Does anyone want to beat Koizumi up for betraying the SOS Brigade? Or maybe you guys are on Team Inception? Or maybe you're confused as to when, how, or why Koizumi sided with Cobb's team? That's in the next chapter. Until then, R&R!

* * *

**In the next chapter:**

"Looks like you guys are in a fix." A voice, belonging to a figure, standing near the door said.

"We're completely fine." Arthur said to the newcomer. "I've got the Mark researched."

"You don't know half of anything about Haruhi Suzumiya." He smiled.

* * *

"What is this place?" Ariadne asked.

"This, is what Haruhi Suzumiya's mind looks like."

"A rather empty place." Eames smirked. "This looks more like Limbo to me."

* * *

"What is that!" Cobb's eyes widened, looking at a towering blue monster smashing everything in sight.

"That, is what you'll possibly be dealing with, once you're in her mind…." Koizumi smiled. "Looks like you'll be needing a _**Specialist**_."


	9. Chapter 9: The Specialist

**Disclaimer: I do not own Haruhi Suzumiya and/or Inception or anything related.**

**A/N: **Shoutout to BrendanRizzo, who provided me with much needed constructive criticism, pointing out some confusing parts of the story. Although I did intend the previous chapter to be confusing, it could have done with a little foreshadowing. I hope this chapter answers your questions… somewhat.

Also, I don't remember if I have mentioned this, but flashback chapters will be present every now and then. I was modeling this fic more or less after how the movie, Inception, was presented. This chapter is a flashback.

WARNING: If you have not seen Inception yet, then go see it before you read this. It goes without saying that there will be MAJOR SPOILERS for the movie.

Also, for this fic, I assume that Cobb got back to reality. Screw whether the top falls in the end, I've got fanfiction.

**Title: The Inception of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Synopsis: **

Dom Cobb thought that his life as an extractor was over. He didn't realize that while he was no longer an extractor, he would be asked to become an inceptor. And his first target after the Fischer job? A girl named Haruhi Suzumiya.

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Specialist**

** Thursday: Two days before the SOS Brigade Trip**

"So this Haruhi Suzumiya believes that there are aliens, time-travelers and espers out there?" Arthur spoke, from behind a folder labeled "The Mark".

"Yes." Saito replied, his back facing Arthur.

"So if she's supposed to be able to rewrite reality subconsciously, why hasn't the world exploded with comic-book type characters?" Cobb smirked.

"The funny thing about Ms. Suzumiya is that no matter how hard she believes in the existence of these beings, her mind counters that belief."

"And I suppose that these other members, Koizumi, Asahina and Nagato are actually espers, time-travelers and aliens?"

"Yes."

"Forgive me, Saito, but I think that's rubbish. Those beings do not exist." Eames said, raising his hand.

"We have discussed this a long time ago, Mr. Eames, the presence of these three are proof that Ms. Suzumiya can alter reality."

"So you're saying?" Cobb raised an eyebrow at Saito.

"They exist, with their respective powers and abilities because Ms. Suzumiya has altered reality to allow their existence."

Arthur smirked, while reading a folder labeled "Yuki Nagato".

"Mr. Saito, I still can't believe you'd actually believe that." Arthur said, flicking the pen in his hand. "Let's just say that this Haruhi Suzumiya is actually dreaming up what we know as 'reality'. Would that make us all just her projections?"

"When it comes right down to it, Arthur," Cobb interjected, "When we dream, our projections seem real, feel real, and it's almost as if they're an entirely different person when we talk to them. They have their own identities, their own sets of information, but all that's just a part of our subconscious."

"Still, Cobb, projections are projections. I hardly think that I'd be a projection of a sixteen-year old Japanese school girl."

"Well, Arthur, darling, with your slicked hair, your neatly-pressed three-piece suit, your academic demeanor, and your severe lack of anything called 'imagination', I think you're a candidate for every school girl's subconsciously forbidden fantasy." Eames smirked at Arthur, who returned this playful jab with a cold glare.

"It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not," Saito growled. "You're all getting paid handsomely if the idea takes place."

"Well, that's all that matters, then." Eames smiled, putting his hands behind his head. "Let's just assume that these three use the words _aliens_, _time-travelers_, and _espers_ as a spy codename or something like that."

"Um, Mr. Saito?" Ariadne raised her hand.

"Yes, Ms. Ariadne?"

"We wouldn't be dealing with subconscious security this time, I assume?"

"That, I am not quite sure of, Ms. Ariadne. Perhaps Arthur here could answer that question."

Upon being addressed, Arthur cleared his throat immediately.

"I have thoroughly researched Haruhi Suzumiya, and there seems to be no record of her ever undergoing subconscious militarization. However…"

He tossed a folder labeled "Itsuki Koizumi" on the table.

"This person, it would seem, is called an _esper_, and according to records I've found, there is a possibility that he had undergone some sort of dream-share training around three years ago."

"Incidentally," Yusef piped up from the couch. "I supplied them once with some of my own brand of customized sedatives."

Yusef stood up from the couch and showed them a file containing a list of names.

"These are a list of names of people I have had transactions with, from around three years ago." Yusef pointed to a name in the list and said, "This particular person, however, ordered an extraordinary amount of customized sedatives."

"Keiichi Tamaru…" Cobb read the name. "Why is that name familiar?"

"It's familiar, because according to the student directory at North High," Arthur walked over, pointing to Koizumi's folder "he is Koizumi's uncle and person to contact in case of emergency."

"What I'm interested to know," Eames said, standing up from his own chair and joining the small group that already huddled themselves around Cobb and the files. "Is what they would do with a bloody huge amount of customized sedatives."

"Why, to train ourselves, of course."

The group turned around, hearing a voice from the door.

"How did you get past security?" Saito growled.

"Well, it's easy, really…" said the voice, stepping inside the room. "Once you've 'borrowed' a suit and one of those fancy keycards from one of the guards… I found that one of your guards seem to find me as a 'boring conversation partner'… You might find him sleeping in a dumpster around here by now."

"Koizumi." Cobb stood up to face the newcomer. "You followed me here? After the club meeting today, I suppose?"

"Yes. You see, I was suspicious, Mr. Cobb." Koizumi smiled. "And I also found this…"

Koizumi took a brown envelope he kept in the 'borrowed' suit he wore.

"That's…"

"I've been researching you since you've been hired in North High. Took me quite a while to get hold of this key bit of information, actually." Koizumi said. "Because almost all of the records about your case were _strangely_ removed. I believe you were charged with murder?"

"Cobb didn't kill Mal!" Ariadne raised her voice at the young man.

"Ariadne, stay out of this." Cobb said. Turning to Koizumi, he continued "So, Mr. Koizumi, what are you here for? I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with my wife's death, nor my personal history."

"Oh, not that, Mr. Cobb." Koizumi smiled. "I was just curious as to why an ordinary school teacher would involve himself with dream-share technology and corporate espionage? I've also found files from the US Military, saying that you were part of an experimental group of architects dabbling with 'Subconscious Landscaping'."

Koizumi opened the envelope and flipped through its contents.

"After all that I've discovered, and after Ms. Nagato has ensured me that you are just a regular human being with no powers whatsoever," Koizumi said, not looking away from the files he was reading. "I took the liberty of following you, and here I discover that you and your team here were trying to plant an idea on Suzumiya-san's head?"

"So you've heard everything, and you're here to report us to your Agency?"

Koizumi's smile turned into a sigh.

"I should let you know, that I have come here to strike a deal with you."

"What deal?" Arthur pulled out a gun. "That we stop what we're planning now, and you'll let us off scott-free?"

"I don't think you understand, Mr. Koizumi… There's only one of you and six of us." Cobb shook his head. "You are in no position to drive a bargain."

"Who said I was here to stop you?"

"Aren't you?" Arthur asked.

"Please, lower your gun, and can we please talk about things in a very civil manner?" Koizumi motioned at the Point Man.

Arthur stood still, refusing to point his gun down.

"Arthur, do as he says. He is no threat to us at all." Cobb ordered.

"Cobb, I don't trust this guy."

"Just lower your gun. I want to hear what his proposal is."

Arthur lowered his gun with contempt, still glaring at the esper.

"Alright, Mr. Koizumi. What is it that you want?"

"I want to join your team." Koizumi smiled. "Simple as that."

"And why would you join us, Mr. Koizumi?" Cobb asked. "Isn't your Agency out to protect Haruhi Suzumiya? Why would you help us?"

"Yeah, about that…" Koizumi shrugged his shoulders. "Well, let's just say that I am tired of being the Agency's errand boy."

"Errand boy?"

"I'm tired of trying to keep Haruhi Suzumiya from destroying and rewriting this world, and your little escapade just may be what I need." Koizumi said, making himself at home on one of the couches, as Arthur eyed him with suspicion. "I just wanted to be of help to you, because it would seem to me that you guys are in a fix."

"We're completely fine." Arthur said Koizumi. "I've got the Mark researched."

"You don't know half of anything about Haruhi Suzumiya." Koizumi smiled at the Point Man.

"We're ready for anything. Her unpredictable nature, her whims, everything. I've got all that researched."

"But are you prepared for what inhabits her subconscious?"

"What do you mean 'inhabits her subconscious'?" Cobb asked. "Does she have militarized projections?"

"I wouldn't say 'militarized', Mr. Cobb… However…" Koizumi said, looking outside the window. "Ah, looks like someone does not want to do house chores today."

Cobb frowned at this little remark, and turned to look at what Koizumi was looking at outside, but saw nothing. Can this boy see something they could not?

"Just a few walks outside here. Perfectly convenient, Suzumiya-san." Koizumi said. "Please come. I shall show you what I meant when I said that you'll be needing my help."

* * *

Koizumi led the group to a nearby park just across the condominium tower.

"It is here." Koizumi said, "Now, I will have all of you close your eyes, if you are to see what I want you to see."

"I'm not buying that." Arthur said, crossly. "What if you just use this opportunity to run away?"

"Oh my. You remind me a lot of someone I know." Koizumi smiled at Arthur "He never trusted me much, really. Well then, I guess you should be the first. Please, close your eyes. Just you."

"I refuse."

"Well, you're even more stubborn than he was. I guess I have to do this by force, then."

All of a sudden, Koizumi grabbed Arthur's hand and pulled him.

"Hey what gives, I—"

From where Cobb and his team stood, both Arthur and Koizumi seemed to have vanished in thin air.

"What the bloody hell?" Eames interjected. "Arthur! Where did that rascal take him?"

A moment later, Koizumi appeared again.

"Where did you take Arthur?" Cobb asked.

"I will take you where he is. Trust me. You can only get there with my help."

Cobb was hesitant, but with a nod, he held out his hand and closed his eyes.

"Cobb?" Ariadne asked. "Are you sure about this?"

"Just do as he says, Ariadne. Take a leap of faith."

At these words, Ariadne hesitantly held out her hand as well. The rest of the team followed suit.

"Ready?" Koizumi asked.

"Just take us to where you took Arthur." Said Cobb, his eyes closed.

"Allright. Close your eyes and take a step forward when I pull your hands."

The team nodded.

Koizumi gathered their hands and held them together with his hands as he took a step backward.

* * *

"You can now open your eyes."

As Cobb opened his eyes, he found himself in the same park, Koizumi and Arthur standing in front of him. However, there was something in the back of his head telling him that this wasn't… _**reality**_. It mustn't be, Cobb thought, for everything was strangely grey and lifeless.

"What is this place?" Ariadne asked.

"This, is what Haruhi Suzumiya's mind looks like." Koizumi pointed out.

"A rather empty place." Eames smirked. "This looks more like Limbo to me."

Ariadne walked around, noticing that all three lights on the stoplight were lit.

"Is the stoplight broken?" she turned to Koizumi.

"No. We are in a dimensional fault created by Haruhi Suzumiya." Koizumi said. "Logic isn't necessarily obeyed here."

"So, this is a _**dream**_?" Ariadne asked, her eyes widening.

"Not necessarily." Koizumi said. "Suzumiya-san isn't asleep right now. This place, is what we call Closed Space."

The team turned to look at Koizumi, listening to his explanations.

"It has a similar feel to dream space. Closed Space appears whenever Suzumiya-san's mental state is disturbed. Whenever she is feeling down, or feeling frustrated, these spaces appear. They appear whether she is asleep or awake… Her mind subconsciously produces these spaces as a form of catharsis. Of course, this may all be just a dream within a dream, if you believe that '_reality_' is Suzumiya-san's _dream_." Koizumi chuckled.

"So what does this place have anything to do with your proposition, Mr. Koizumi?" Saito asked.

"Look over there." Koizumi pointed to his far right.

From a distance, where Koizumi was pointing, a blue blob sprouted from the ground. It slowly began to take form, rising from the ground. Soon, it was standing up straight, what seemed to be its head hitting a nearby building, smashing into it.

"Oh boy." Yusef said. "That is one ugly monster."

The monster had three red holes for its eyes and mouth. It had a deafening roar that nearly shook the ground. Slowly, it lunged towards another building, and with a swing of its 'hands', the building was smashed to the ground. Standing up straight, the monster was around three times the height of an average man.

"What is that!" Cobb's eyes widened, looking at the towering blue monster smashing everything in sight.

"That, is what you'll possibly be dealing with, once you're in her mind…." Koizumi smiled. "Looks like you'll be needing a Specialist."

"What do you mean a Specialist?" Arthur asked.

"These monsters are called Celestials. They are created whenever Suzumiya-san's irritation reaches a certain level. You could say they are projections of her subconscious. In the subconscious realm, I have the ability to battle such creatures." Koizumi looked towards the sky. Taking a step forward, Koizumi shrouded himself with a glowing red energy field, levitating several inches from the ground.

"Now that, is one wicked transformation." Eames said in awe, looking at the floating red orb in front of him, which contained Koizumi.

Koizumi flew towards the monster, circling its hands, its feet, and its head. Where Koizumi circled, the monster got cut, and blue fluid oozed from its wounds. A few more circles, and the monster was done for. The red orb zoomed towards the team, and landed on the ground slowly.

"See?" Koizumi said, as the red orb faded. "This is why you'll be needing me."

The grey sky rumbled, as cracks formed in it. The entire Closed Space collapsed as soon as the monster was destroyed. A blinding flash of light illuminated the area, forcing the team to close their eyes.

* * *

Upon opening their eyes, Cobb and his team found themselves back in the park. What the Celestial destroyed in the Closed Space remained untouched in the real world. At this, Saito sighed, for it was his condominium that the Celestial destroyed in Closed Space.

"It is very fortunate for us that this particular Celestial is just a 'baby'." Koizumi said. "The Agency doesn't interfere with such a small-scale Closed Space, so I highly doubt that any members were deployed to destroy that one. I daresay that was fortunately a minor irritation on Suzumiya-san's part. Perhaps due to some household chores she does not want to do, or a difficult homework. It's hard to say."

"Perhaps we could continue this conversation back inside." Saito, still breathless from the ordeal, said.

* * *

"So you're saying that there's a possibility that Haruhi Suzumiya's Celestials will appear in the dream world?" Arthur asked.

"Yes." Koizumi said. "Since she is your subject, it is her mind that populates the dream, and there is a probability, that we will encounter such creatures. Particularly, if she, at any point, gets irritated while in the dream."

"And this is all in theory, Mr. Koizumi?" Saito asked.

"In theory, Mr. Saito." Koizumi said.

"And if we recruit you into the team?"

"Then you'll have an advantage. I am a lucid dreamer, and I've had experience with dream share technology." Koizumi replied. "We espers, while being equipped with the full knowledge of our powers, still had to undergo training, and since we can't have Closed Spaces all the time, we used dream sharing to train. In the dream world, we espers had more or less the same abilities we have in Closed Space, and as we go to a deeper layer, our powers increase."

"As long as you're in a landscape concerning the human mind, you have powers? Is that what being an esper is all about?" Cobb asked.

"Normally, we'd say just Suzumiya-san's subconscious." Koizumi smiled, raising an eyebrow at Cobb. "But I'm telling you now, a secret only the Agency members know… We can use our powers in anyone's dream."

"Well then, Mr. Koizumi…" Cobb said, standing up. "After what we saw, it seems that we could really use your help."

He reached out his hand.

"Welcome to the team. Now, you have only more than a day to understand the dream layers. I suggest you talk to Ariadne and Yusef about that."

Koizumi smiled and shook Cobb's hand.

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Cobb."

* * *

**A/N:** I hope this chapter explains a lot! Whew! Thanks again to BrendanRizzo, and I hope I get more reviewers like you! R&R!

**In the next chapter:**

**

* * *

**

"Kyon?" Haruhi blinked, looking at Eames. "What am I doing here?"

"Well, uh…" Eames said, looking around uneasily at Cobb. "You see, Mr. Cobb here…"

* * *

"You're dreaming, Haruhi." Cobb stated out flatly.

* * *

"M-Mal?"

"That's right, my little Architect."

"Ariadne, don't listen to her, she's not real!" Arthur shouted.

Mal raised her knife poised to strike…


End file.
